The rise of Tinder is leading to some unexpected consequences at bars and restaurants

The popularity of online dating and dating apps is leading to some major design changes in bars and restaurants. 

Some restaurants are adding more two-person tables to accommodate the growing number of couples who are lingering over a first-date drink, after being brought together on a blind date by aps like Tinder and Hinge, reports the Washington Post.

Dating apps mean the more elaborate first date (movies, dinners) have been replaced by drinks that function as getting-to-know-you affairs that may or may not result in a second date. 

Reporter Lavanya Ramanathan profiled a restaurateur named Ashok Bajaj who revamped his design due to this dating boom. When refreshing one of his restaurants, Ardeo + Bardeo, Bajaj decided to ditch booths and install tables for two, after noticing the influx of couples in the restaurant. In another restaurant, Nopa, he installed a series of two-seat nooks in the bar area so couples on dates wouldn't loiter at dining room tables for hours.

 

Online and app-based dating has influenced the restaurant industry in a number of other ways, from what day of the week dates show up at restaurants to the length of time couples nurse a single drink (too long, according to restaurateurs). You can read the full story on the Washington Post.